The Shadow Monster

The upstairs hallway was hardwood flooring, and had four doors. On her left was a bathroom, and on the right was the first bedroom, the kids' bedroom; more like, guests' kids' bedroom. Past that were two more doors, again on her left and right. The one on the right was a guest bedroom, and the one on the left, was her bedroom. Gammy's bedroom.

She had a sudden desire to check the other bedrooms for intruders. And then she thought better of it. She didn't want to look into the rooms in the dark, with only a candle for light, creating crazy shadows. No, for now she'd--

Prepare yourself for me.

She'd take a shower. She hadn't showered yet today, so, she could go for one. Besides, it wasn't late enough to fall asleep.

She stepped into the bathroom, reached for the light, and stopped herself before she flipped it. Right right, leave it off. She'd brought candles for a reason. She set the three candles down on the long counter, and lit the remaining two. Three candles in the bathroom wasn't exactly powerful lighting, but it was enough for her to shower by.

She paused in front of the mirror, and smiled down at the horrible countertop. Ceramic stone, with the most gross blue and white patterns of flowers she'd ever seen. God Gammy, why? Laughing, her fear melting away as she replaced it with nostalgia, she grabbed her toothbrush. Electric, of course.

She closed the bathroom door, locked it -- because fuck a dark hallway -- put some toothpaste on her toothbrush, and turned it on. A vibrating motor inside the mouth meant she couldn't hear a thing, so she glanced to the locked bathroom door every so often, to make sure it remained locked. Brushing her teeth was a good time to re-familiarize with the bathroom though, and she looked around as she cleaned her teeth. The rack with towels, the tall cupboard filled with various over-the-counter drugs, band-aids, peroxide, facecloths and stuff, and a cabinet over the toilet. The hanging cabinet had no doors, so the cabinet's contents were on display: a bunch of baby angels, holding flowers.

Throw them in the trash? She was tempted, very tempted. And maybe some day she would. But for now, it didn't feel right, upsetting Gammy's house like that. Gammy liked those shitty old statues, and Beth laughed as she reached out and touched one. Dusty.

Rolling her eyes, she put the toothbrush away, and undressed, setting the flashlight on the counter. She grabbed a towel from the cupboard, set it on a nearby rack, and looked at herself in the mirror again.

Yeah, she was getting too skinny. She frowned at herself in the mirror, and looked down at her tall body, her pale skin, and her small breasts. She hadn't been doing a good job taking care of herself since Geoff dumped her, not eating well, or at all. Lot of girls turned to food when they were sad, but that wasn't her. She wasted away, instead.

She'd started eating more, and exercising again, as she'd slowly come to realize Geoff was an asshole and she was better off. Gammy had helped her a lot, back then. But then Gammy died, and again, she found herself not eating enough, or exercising enough. She still looked good! Damn it, she did, with pert breasts that stood with pointing, small nipples. She had curves too, the curves of a tall lady... who should probably have a bite to eat before bed.

Later, later.

Maybe she could grow her hair even longer? Then the boobless Morticia Addams comparisons her coworkers made would be comically accurate.

Rolling her eyes, she reached over the tub, pulled the curtain aside -- more ugly flowers -- and turned on the water, nice and hot. There was soap and shampoo, conditioner, different types of lotions and stuff, the bare necessities.

Prepare yourself for me.

She smiled as the water found that sweet spot between hot and too hot, and the steam flowed out of the shower, over her naked body. It felt good. It felt really good. She sighed dreamily as she pulled the valve, and hot water poured from the shower head. Gammy used one of those handheld shower heads on a hose, and Beth laughed as she looked up at it. There were other things besides cleaning she could do with that.

And, hey, maybe that was a good way to help her sleep tonight, an orgasm to take the edge off of... well, everything. Off getting scared by losing her power, off her depression, off the exhaustion of moving, off everything. Gammy was always a strangely, sexually upfront woman, and she would have adamantly agreed. Sex, frequent sex, was good for the soul, according to Gammy. And when you couldn't have sex, masturbate until you could.

Well, Beth was single now, and the only person sexing her up, was her. Chuckling again, she set a leg in the shower, and looked back at the candles. Mood lighting, perfect. A nice long shower, and a shower head for--

Prepare yourself for me.

No, don't do that. Prepare yourself for something better. This was her new home, and it was a great home. An amazing home. Old, and in need of renovations, but an amazing home. A fully paid for home! Gammy would have demanded she celebrate by inviting her boyfriend over, if she'd had one. Well, fuck Geoff. She didn't need Geoff. But, if Geoff were here, and they really were going to celebrate with a night of sex, she knew what he'd want. And, hell, what she'd want.

Rolling her eyes, she stood in the bathroom, and stared at the curtain in front of her as steam began to fill the air. Get them? Get them.

She grabbed the flashlight, unlocked the door, and went back down to the kitchen where she'd left the light on. Walking around the house naked was a thrill, and she shivered as the air on bare, dampened skin hardened her nipples. Or was it because of the fear her new house had decided to tease her with? Or was it because of what she knew she was going to do? It'd been months since she'd done this, and it was always such a hassle, but damn, she did miss it.

In the kitchen, she found the box, a specific box of a specific shape. It was just an ordinary box, but she'd memorized it well, because the contents were private. Couldn't have any of her friends knowing what was inside, when she moved. She giggled as she picked it up, and took it back up with her, up the stairs to the bathroom.

She froze as movement caught her eye again. Something in the living room? No. The kitchen lights were still on, so she could see in the living room well enough. The curtains were closed, so no one was peeking on her. She was alone. It was just the flashlight making shadows move as she moved. Calm down.

Back in the bathroom, she popped open the box, and grinned down at her many goodies. Lubricant, dildos of various shapes, sizes, and features, and some other tools. Geoff had introduced her to the joys of double penetration during sex, and, well, she'd kinda been addicted. She hadn't used these things since Geoff left though, and that had to change. It'd be the first step in bringing some joy back to her life, rediscovering her sex drive. It used to be huge, and she'd indulged in all sorts of fun kinks all the time. Now was as good a time as any to reawaken it.

She grabbed the small plastic bulb, and stepped into the shower. She cleaned her body as per usual, her hair, her armpits and the rest of her, until she felt good and ready. And then she started to cleanse her ass with water, using the bulb. She remembered the first time she'd done this, and how weird and gross it felt. But even then, the payoff had been worth it. And--

Prepare yourself for me. All of you. All of me.

--if she was going to enjoy her toys tonight, she was going to enjoy them completely. Much as the thought of Geoff pissed her off, he did have a kinky side that synced with hers. Double penetration had been a frequent part of their love making, and she missed it.

It took a while, to get completely clean inside and out, but she knew it would be worth it. Tonight was special, and for the first time in a while, she could feel her sex drive kicking in. She wasn't about to let it get away either.

She didn't know why it was happening. Could have been the fear, the rush of adrenaline from running out of her scary basement. But something strong hit her, something that demanded she satisfy it. It'd been so long since she'd had a good orgasm or three, and suddenly, all she could think about now, was being... filled. She wanted to be filled.

She dried herself off, reached for her towel, and almost put it on. No, don't put it on, but you will need it. Nodding to herself, she made a few trips to her bedroom. First with one candle and the towel, candle for the nightstand, and towel in the middle of the bed. Next trip, another candle and her box of toys. Next trip, the flashlight and final candle.

As she set the last candles up along her drawers, she weighed her options for what she'd use as material for tonight. She could get her laptop, and watch something. Maybe she could get her e-book reader, and read something? She had lots of stories, of all kinds, some she hadn't even read. If she was going to enjoy herself and a bunch of her toys tonight, maybe a more naughty story? She had one about a woman being ravaged by a bunch of werewolves, like, the big kind of werewolves, super huge werewolves, super huge and muscular and tall and sexual, aggressive werewolves. Huge, in multiple ways.

She'd read the story before, several times, to the point she could visualize it, and she looked forward to reading it again. Grinning, she climbed onto the bed, sat her butt down on her towel, and looked around at the candles. Such delicious mood lighting! Complete out of place with the fantasy currently running through her head, but whatever, it was still pretty.

She reached into the box, found one of her kinder dildos, a tiny blue vibrator, and she settled down on her back and butt on the bed as she turned it on. The gentle hum ignited old memories, dozens of orgasms at this little thing's hand, and she sighed relief as warmth began to flood her body, a familiar warmth. That's right, all she needed was some time to get over the sad things in her life, and her sex drive was bound to come back. Maybe she could even look into dating again?

She closed her eyes, got comfy on her blankets, and set the toy against her sex. The vibration was at minimum for now, just enough to send little jolts of pleasure through her body without overstimulating yet. She still needed to warm up more. With her right hand down between her legs, her left found her small breasts, and she melted into her blankets as she teased her hardening nipples with her fingertips. And in her mind, she entertained images of a woman being held down and taken, forced, by enormous beasts of hunger and testosterone. The plan had been to go get the e-book reader and read the story, but maybe she didn't to.

And then the house decided it didn't like her anymore.

She sat up with a squeal as the house groaned. More than groaned. It rumbled, come to life, like a tiger someone decided to dangle fresh meat in front of.

"J... Just the house settling," she whispered. "Just--"

"Bethany," the darkness said, a quiet, strange noise that trickled out of the shadows around her. "Bethany." Louder this time, deeper, a voice that filled her bedroom, and shot up her spine like ice.

The darkness around her grew, and the candles flickered in an unnatural breeze; the windows were closed. Shadows expanded, shades of black against black that defied the little light she'd managed to create in her bedroom. She snapped her head left and right as she yanked her pillow up to her chest, and her jaw dropped as heavy waves of black fell from her ceiling. They didn't fall fast, instead, slithering down, like snakes. More of the black snakes climbed up from around her bed, up and onto the dresser, the nightstand, and her blankets. Their tails were lost in the shadows beyond.

The curtains shuffled in the gentle breeze, and the hint of street and moonlight they'd let in before disappeared, lost under a thick, slow wave of darkness. The twisting veins of obsidian crept up her walls, and the candles showed smooth shapes, long, curling and bending, crawling closer to her across the tacky old wallpaper. From above, the tendrils seeped down over her, and she sucked in another breath when she saw things twisting under the blankets.

The candles went out.

"Bethany, come to me."

She shrieked, and jumped from the bed. Enough horror movies had taught her the stupidity of holding still and screaming. So she jumped onto her feet, and ran into the hallway, screaming on the move.

The kitchen light was--off! Someone turned it off!

Her heels hit the floor hard, and she held out a hand to find the railing. Muscle memory swam up from the oceans of the past, and she found the railing in the dark without issue. Down, down, ten steps. What was the old game? One two three four five six seven eight nine ten, to the tune of Old MacDonald, except now the tune ran through her mind at some unreasonable speed. Go faster, get to the kitchen, get outside? Do something, anything!

She was naked. She didn't care. Let the world know she'd planned to enjoy a night of serious quality masturbation. She didn't care. Had to get out, get away.

She bolted into her kitchen, using nothing but her memory of the layout, and held out her hands in front of her as she ran for the side door. Impact. Hands in the dark crashed into the door, and she fumbled for the doorknob in the black. Find it, find it, find--

Something thick, hot, and strong wrapped around her ankle, and yanked.

"No!" she screamed, and closed her eyes as she expected her face to slam into the door. It didn't. Another vine of darkness snapped out and caught her by the shoulders, both, circling around them above her bicep and once around her chest.

"Ah, this game tonight?" the darkness said, chuckling. "Then I look forward to eating you, my prey." The voice was dark, deeper than she could have imagined, and she screamed louder as she looked behind her.

Red eyes, floating in the darkness, solid, without pupils. Two red eyes, slitted, like a demon wolf, staring at her in the black, hungering for her. She could see nothing else, only two red eyes that glowed ever so slightly, and flickers of shadow as its titanic limbs covered and coated the walls, floor, and ceiling of her kitchen.

"No, stop! Let go!" Somehow, she managed to get words out between her shrieks, but they were raspy gasps lost in the noise. She screamed, and screamed, but the windows were closed and the neighbors were too far away. No one could hear her.

In her twisting and turning, she managed to throw a swing, and hit one of the limbs. She fell to the floor on her back, but one of the vines still wrapped her chest, and another wrapped her ankle. She reached out for them, and squealed as a hulking mass pounced over her. It buried her, covered her without landing on her, and she stared up at the two red eyes as they looked down at her. Its flesh was completely black, blacker than black, but with how wide apart its sinister eyes were, she managed a guess at the size of its head.

This thing could literally eat her in two bites. She had no idea if that was better than one bite, or worse.

The beast, close now, pressed two enormous, flat, hard, fleshy surfaces down against her wrists, pinning her on her back. Gigantic hands, with huge palms. It growled, a rumbling sound that shook the floor and made her whole body vibrate. Its head lowered, and she felt its heavy breath on her; no odor, but the heat and moisture was unmistakable.

"I am going to eat you, Bethany," the monster said, and it purred, another vibrating sound that flowed through her until she was sure an earthquake was devouring her home, and her head buzzed with it.

"Wait! Wait, don't!" It was going to eat her. Oh god, it was going to eat her.

The monster didn't listen. Shadows carried her back across the floor, as if she weighed nothing. Wrapping tendrils each took an ankle, and their hot, clenching strength left no room for struggle or escape. Thick tendrils, each as thick as her wrist or more, wrapped around her ankles multiple times, soon wrapping around her shins and calves, as they secured her like a fly trapped in a spider web.

"It has been years since you have struggled so, my Bethany." The deep, rolling voice of alien purrs and monstrous rumbles echoed through the kitchen, and into her body. "I did always delight in this game."

It thought she was Bethany. Like, Gammy Bethany?

"Stop! Please! I'm not Bethany, I'm not--"

"A stranger? Bethany, these games you play, they fill me with hunger." It laughed once again, deep, guttural, alien, and lifted her into the air. She dangled upside down, head twisting left and right, arms flailing, desperate to catch onto something. The archway between kitchen and living room provided her with a moment's resistance, fingers clutching to the drywall, but she may as well have been trying to stop an elephant. It continued along, pulling her past without issue, into the living room, and then up the stairs.

She pulled at the walls, and managed to get her grip around the door frame of her bedroom, but it was no good. Her fingers slipped away, useless.

"I'm not Bethany! Please, you have to believe me! I'm her great granddaughter! You... You can't do this! I--" She squeaked as the monster threw her onto the bed, literally. She bounced a couple times before she managed to get her bearings again, and she crawled toward the opposite side of mattress.

But she never left the bed, as a giant hand, the size of her torso, grabbed her mid crawl, and pushed her back down onto the soft blankets. With no light to see by, only the subtle glow of distant stars through her window, the beast's body may as well have been obsidian against an endless, black void; invisible. The only times she could see it were when its silhouette crossed over parts of her bedroom that the star and moonlight managed to illuminate with the most faint hint of light.

It was impossible to tell what this thing looked like, but its large, red eyes did not emit light, despite their small glow. As if the glow was meant for her and her alone, the room ignored their fiery radiance, and she stared at them as the colossal hand rolled her over, pushed her down onto her back on the bed, and took one of her legs. Another massive hand, with claws upon its almost human shape, took her other leg, and she squealed as the monster forcibly spread her thighs.

The monster's face came in closer. Did it have a mouth? Nose? All she could see was its burning eyes, and feel the heat of its breath upon her smooth skin. But, she recognized the sound of heavier breathing, and she felt it over her thighs, her stomach, her sex, as the creature's eyes came closer.

It was opening its mouth.

She reached out and punched at its face. Might as well have been punching a tree. The texture was hard flesh, no fur, but skin, hot and firm, and as some of her punches hit its forehead and shoulders, she gained a small sense of its body, and size. It had to be the size of an elephant, if not bigger, somehow jamming itself into her bedroom, and it had to have muscles that put said elephant to shame. It couldn't exist. This thing in her dreams couldn't have been real.

"D... Don't... eat... me," she said, tears in her eyes.

The monster chuckled, deep, warm voice rolling across her like heavy, gentle ocean waves. "But you did always enjoy this first."

First? She stared down at the thing between her legs, and her blurry eyes widened more, as she saw its looming maw envelop her pelvis. She felt a lip, and massive teeth, slide along her ass, before she could tell her butt was inside its mouth. The other half of its mouth, the upper lip and upper set of sharp teeth, rested upon her lower pelvis, but soon reached higher, and higher, and she screamed as she felt half of her stomach disappear into the shadow creature.